A merger of international classification superpowers has been announced today.
Norwegian classification society Det Norske Veritas (DNV) and German classification society Germanischer Lloyd have agreed to merge their respective businesses in 2013. The new entity will be called DNV GL Group. If approved, this merger will be responsible for classing a combined tonnage of 265 million gross tons of ships and rigs worldwide making it the largest classification society in the world.
The new DNV GL Group will have a strengthened foothold in several areas of expertise, including the maritime segment and across the entire oil & gas value chains. The Group will be one of the global leaders in pipeline verification and asset integrity services as well as in renewable energy certification and advisory services. Moreover, it will be a strong player within power transmission and distribution as well as testing and certification services. To enhance its service offering the DNV GL Group plans to strengthen its focus on R&D and innovation.
DNV GL Group will operate in the business segments Maritime, Oil & Gas, Energy and Business Assurance. Its global headquarters will be at H?vik outside of Oslo.
The maritime business unit will be headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, while maintaining its commitment to the Norwegian maritime cluster. Oil & Gas will be headquartered at H?vik, Norway, while Energy will be headquartered in Arnhem, the Netherlands and Business Assurance in Milan, Italy. DNV GL Group will be organised as a Norwegian limited company (AS).
